Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Saturday’s cut in the price of Russian oil to US$60 a barrel was not enough because he considered it not a “serious decision”, with Kiev recommending twice the price.
On Friday, the European Union (EU), the G7 (the world’s seven richest economies) and Australia agreed to impose this maximum ceiling, with Russia immediately indicating that it “will not accept” the limit, which must be applied. A military invasion of Ukraine is expected to reduce Moscow’s financial resources in the coming days.
The price of Russian oil currently stands at US$65 a barrel, slightly above the ceiling recognized by the West, which will have limited impact in the short term.
However, earlier this morning, Kiev was happy to use this penalty mechanism and predicted the destruction of the Russian economy under the weight of international sanctions.
“Required to download [o preço máximo] 30 dollars to clear [a economia russa] Even faster,” said Andrii Iermak, chief of staff to the Ukrainian president.
But in the evening, Zelensky adopted a significantly more critical stance toward the West.
“Setting such a limit for the Russian price is not a radical decision, it is actually convenient for the budget of the terrorist state,” he said, as quoted by the presidential services.
“Russia has already caused huge losses to all the countries of the world by deliberately disrupting the energy market. And the world cannot afford to risk “real energy disarmament of Moscow,” he lamented. “This is a fragile position,” he added.
The text of a maximum price per barrel of Russian crude oil was criticized by Kiev and rejected by Moscow.
“We will not accept this limit,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov was quoted by Russian agencies as telling media, while Moscow has already warned it will cut off oil supplies to countries that adopt the measure.
In this first reaction from Moscow, Peskov said that Russia had “prepared itself in advance for a similar limitation”, without giving further details.
On Friday, the 27 countries of the European Union, the G7 and Australia reached an agreement on a “maximum price of US$60”. [cerca de 57 euros] “Crude oil of Russian origin is transported by sea,” a joint statement said.
The G7 and Australia said the mechanism would come into effect on Monday “or later”. On the same day, an EU embargo on Russian oil transported by sea will begin, eliminating two-thirds of crude purchases from Russia.
In this way, only oil sold by Moscow at or below USD 60 will continue to be supplied. Beyond this limit, companies are prohibited from providing services that ensure sea transportation (freight and insurance, among others).
Germany and Poland have decided to stop oil pipeline deliveries until the end of 2022, which, according to Europeans, will contribute to the impact of more than 90 percent of total Russian imports.
The military offensive launched by Russia in Ukraine on February 24 has already displaced more than 13 million people — more than six million internally displaced and more than 7.8 million to European countries — according to the latest UN data. The refugee crisis ranks as the worst in Europe since World War II (1939-1945).
The Russian invasion — justified by Russian President Vladimir Putin as the need to “denazify” and militarize Ukraine for Russia’s security — was generally condemned by the international community, which responded by sending weapons to Ukraine and imposing political and Russian sanctions. Economic barriers.
The UN confirmed 6,655 civilian deaths and 10,368 wounded since the beginning of the war, underscoring that these numbers are much lower than the actual toll.
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